So far, Kendrick has avoided sophomore slump

The list of first-half Phillies surprises includes a sound follow-up season by 23-year-old Kyle Kendrick, the subject of much consternation during spring training. In March, the extended forecast called for excellent seasons by Brett Myers, Carlos Ruiz and So Taguchi. The outlook was a lot cloudier for Kendrick, who had a dismal spring and was supposed to become the 21st Century Marty Bystrom. We should have learned our lesson in 2007, when Aaron Rowand, based on his Grapefruit League totals,... more...